last resort grill

fantastic. there is a reason last resort grill is no. 1 on urbanspoon. there is also a reason why i am so fond of reading reviews on restaurants before i try them.

my girlfriend and i went to last resort for the first time with very high hopes. we'd heard great things, and the occasion was special, so we wanted to celebrate.

for starters, our server - i really wish i remembered his name - was spectacular. he was prompt, friendly, courteous and extremely knowledgeable on the menu.

i ordered the firecracker filet mignon with mashed potatoes and my girlfriend ordered a pasta (though i don't remember which.)

when our server brought out the bread before the meal, i was floored. this wasn't a few rolls or a small loaf of bread to be cut into two pieces - it was an overflowing basket of bread. and did i mention it was absolutely delicious?

when our meals came out - in a very reasonable amount of time, might i add - i was very impressed, to say the least. it is still the best steak i've had in athens, hands down.

the prices are what you'd expect - $15-$25 - but you get exactly what you pay for.

like i said, there's a reason this place is no. 1.

pricey and popular. we visited the restaurant on a thursday night after hearing about it, for a uga family celebration despite the place being packed and no reservations, our party of five was seated in short order after the hustling and exceedingly friendly staff put some tables together for us. i ordered the salmon which was well-prepared but not great or huge, which seemed to be the case for all our meals with two notable exceptions: a specially-prepared tomato and pasta dish for our foreign-born guest, and my wife's tenderloin, a plate of perfectly prepared, melt-in-your-mouth, tender beef. extensive and pricey wine list. appetizers: good, not great southern goodness and pricey (crab cake, fried green tomatoes). hard to carry on conversations with all of the crowd, bustle, and noise, but most everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and in spite of the $200+ tab, we might give it another shot for a special occasion.

absolutely wonderful. tweaked a pasta dish for me and it was devine.

definitely crowded, but so worth it. granted, it's always always always crowded there, there's a reason. it's classy/laid-back/southern/hip way has always made it really feel like the anti-thesis of athens (for me, at least). growing up, i didn't really think much of it but wisdom, as they say, comes with age ;)

so yes, it's super crowded but my best advice is just have a glass of wine by the bar and just chill out. when you (finally!) sit down to eat, there's a lot of great things on the menu. i recommend the crab cakes or the hanger steak or the u-10 scallops. another reviewer here said he didn't like the hanger steak and wouldn't recommend it, i fervently disagree. it was cooked perfectly and the glaze was delicious; it's also a chile glaze, not a honey glaze.

i also recommend the gorgonzola dressing. it's freshly made too, if i'm not mistaken.

the last resort might take forever to get you seated, just savor the wine and anticipate a delicious meal.

the best restaurant in athens!. i've never been disappointed with last resort. from their daily specials, to the fried green tomato appetizer, wonderful entrees, and freakin' amazing deserts...you can not go wrong.

my only 2 wishes for last resort would be:
1. freshen up the menu, even the specials are predictable if you dine there often, which i do. i guess that's my problem not theirs, eh?
2. just a little crowded with the seating arrangements. i do understand wanting to pack as many in as possible, but the place is already so tiny, so many tables so close together don't make for a very intimate date since you have to speak rather loudly across the table to be heard. but the food will make the date completely worth it and whomever you take surely won't be able to use the dining choice against you. the rest is up to you, my friend.

so that's all. go to last resort with in a week and you'll have good luck vibes, sent from me of course. and don't forget the desert, you'll thank me later :)

our first time using urbanspoon, didn't disappoint. delicious food, affordable priced, sat outside and loved the atmosphere

an athens must try. the salmon and grits is phenomenal, and i was hesitant to try it. the white chocolate cheesecake and coconut cake are delicious as well. i haven't tried it, but a friend said their caramel cake is the best he's ever had, and he's a big caramel cake fan.

i have always enjoyed their fantastic food, devine handmade deserts, and a top place in athens for sunday brunch. i rate for the food. who cares if a server was having a tough time or you had to wait. great places stay busy. if you want complaints. worse parking lot ever. parking has never affected our meal.

great welcome to athens. getting into athens last afternoon, i meet a friend and we head down to the last resort grill, recommendation courtesty of urbanspoon.

for a late sunday evening, i was impressed how busy this place was. that's always a good sign for me. a short wait and we were seated by a polite host. i ordered the salmon and my friend has the fillet. the place has a very upscale feel and expectations were high.

the wait for the food took a while and i found myself getting full off the rolls. when the food came, my salmon was a little overcooked and dry, but overall not a bad meal. it was served on a rice pilaf with a mango salsa garnishing the plate. my friends fillet looked amazing and i was wishing i had ordered that. it was cooked perfectly medium and served over mashed potatoes and asparagus.

i also had the cheesecake, which is made locally. it was quite good.

the waitress was very friendly thoughout the meal, but seemed a bit irritated when we asked for seperate checks. i don't get that, but oh well.. not asking for much.

i would recommend this restaurant and may go back and try the fillet next time.

we had the turkey burger and pozole, a tomato-based soup that's very hearty, with less broth than most puzzles -- heavy on the pork and spice, a little less hominy than expected, but delicious. prices at lunch can't be beat here; everything is about $9 or $10. we split a red-and-black slice of cake, a red velvet cake with chocolate layers, after reading raves about it online. it was ok, but not fabulous. the cakes are prepared elsewhere, kept in a chilled display case, and served chilled. that kills the flavor of the cake; the slices should sit out at least two hours before serving, to let them come to room temperature. it also dries cakes out. we'd definitely visit again and try almost anything on the menu, but would skip the cake, as pretty as they are. if you're a cake fan, know that the slices are enormous, and two of us couldn't finish one slice.

12/27/2016: they lost my family and i as customers when we met the rude waiter that met us (didn't greet us) as we walked in. the 15 minute wait was not the issue, it was the whole attitude thing walking in the door that made the whole family second guess going here. clearly you did not want our money or our patronage. we ate elsewhere and our dinner for 5 netted the other restaurants $175 and that waitress a $25 tip. not sure if there will be a next time.

it's pretty good, but it doesn't live up to the hype. the tables are really close together so it gets really crowded. last time we were there it got really smokey inside and they need to check their ventilation system.  it's a solid restaurant but nothing really stood out except for their cheesecake.

we had two salads, gorgonzola dressing and vidalia onion bacon dressings. small salads which were greens and shredded carrot straws. fresh veggies, but nothing special. the homemade dressings were good, as well as being a different taste than the normal vinaigrette.

pictured were the small plate crab cakes and the last resort’s praline which is a "plump double chicken breast stuffed with a medley of cheeses, topped with walnut-honey drizzle & served with veggies & creamy grits." this was my first taste of chicken with sweet, and it was interesting. good flavors and extremely rich. green beans done al dente - just the way my spouse loves them. they did come dripping with oil or clarified butter, but i think it was more likely vegetable oil. i don't particularly like green beans, but these were good enough that i ate half of them (spouse finishing them off).

the crab cakes were filled with crab! they had a very crisp outside which was a pleasure to crunch. my wife, who eats crab cakes at least half the time she sees them on the menu said, "this is the way all crab cakes should be done." they were served with a mayonnaise tasting remoulade and a darker spicy (almost too much for me) aioli (see picture).

server was very pleasant, attentive, and guided us in making our selections. her by the glass wine suggestion was the less expensive cabernet sauvignon (2013 aviary cabernet- $9.75) was extremely pleasant. 2013 was a great year for napa cabernets !

full disclosure, i have a lot of fond memories of this place.  it is where hubs was a bartender for a year or two and where we had our wedding reception many years ago (bonus – the owner let us ‘rent’ the property for nothing!).  while there are any number of fantastic and original restaurants in the college town of athens, ga the last resort grill is one of my absolute favorites.

this place is pretty good but everyone that i talked to hyped it up so much that i was almost disappointed. it probably been a lot different if we would have sat in the main dining room.